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Homecoming Festival |
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I have witnessed festivals all over the world
From
the Bulls of Pamplona to the glittering swirl
Of the
crowds in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day.
And they all
were impressive, each in its way.
But, by far the
most impressive of all
Wasn't on a foreign plaza or the
DC Mall.
It was the heartfelt joy of a dear old friend
Saying, "I'm glad you're safely home again."
But what
of the men who will never see
Glad faces like the ones
that welcomed me;
Men who for thirty long years and more
Have been locked behind their captors' doors?
There
are some who'd rather turn away
And forget those men who
were willing to pay
With their lives and their youth for
democracy.
Weren't those men also fighting to stay free?
Observe the politicians who were never there
To fight
for their country and really don't care
That some who did
have never come home �
That they've been abandoned to
suffer alone;
They speak of patriotism with puffed up
chests
While surreptitiously feathering their nests.
Our forsaken men surely wonder why
Their country has
callously left them to die.
Bleak yesterdays become
hopeless tomorrows,
With nothing ahead but more days of
sorrow,
What do they care about pageantry
And
homecoming festivals across the sea?
So, shall we
just sigh and let them be
A shameful footnote in our
history? |
By Thurman P. Woodfork
Copyright 2002 - Revised 2006
Listed
February 1, 2011 |
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